US grants $169M in military aid to Baltic nations for 2021
By JARI TANNERDecember 23, 2020 GMT
HELSINKI (AP) — The United States has allocated $169 million in military aid to the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for 2021, the Estonian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
The aid earmarked through a new joint U.S.-Baltic security program was included in the U.S. defense appropriations bill approved by Congress and signed into law on Tuesday. In a Twitter post, Estonia’s Defense Ministry called the move “important & highly appreciated news”
Washington has provided military assistance before to the three Baltic nations, which are NATO members. However, the Estonian ministry said this was the first time the aid is being allocated through a dedicated program, the Baltic Security Initiative.